


In the Glow of the Sun

by orayofsunshine



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Married Shirbert, Slice of Life, no beta we die like men, no plot all fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:49:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27563320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orayofsunshine/pseuds/orayofsunshine
Summary: Gilbert had never been one to care much about birthdays. They had always been a bittersweet reminder of what his father had lost in order to gain him, so naturally he didn’t feel right celebrating much. Though memories of past birthdays ranged from bittersweet to better left in the past, another year had come and gone, and for the first time, he had been excited about what the day would hold.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 7
Kudos: 117





	In the Glow of the Sun

**Author's Note:**

> I am but a simple woman: Jenni draws, and I say "Imma write a drabble for that" 
> 
> Enjoy!

Gilbert had never been one to care much about birthdays. They had always been a bittersweet reminder of what his father had lost in order to gain him, so naturally he didn’t feel right celebrating much. Still, there was always a treat of some sort and a shiny coin pressed into his hand after supper, his to spend however he wished. After his father died, he didn’t celebrate at all. He had no one to share it with, and he knew the crew on the  _ Primrose  _ would give him hell if he brought it up. 

Once he moved back to Avonlea with Bash in tow he started celebrating again, and he was always met with a scrumptious cake or pie courtesy of Mary and some sort of gift wrapped in brown paper and tied with twine from the couple he called family. 

His birthdays through college were spent drinking too much liquor with his medical school buddies and lamenting the decision the morning after when his head pounded and his mouth tasted like stale whiskey and regret. 

Though memories of past birthdays ranged from bittersweet to better left in the past, another year had come and gone, and for the first time, he had been excited about what the day would hold. Everything had changed since his last birthday, and for the first time he had woken up the morning of his twenty fifth birthday with his face buried in the wild tangle of his wife’s fiery hair, and he couldn’t have asked for a better start to his morning. He hummed happily, tightening his grip on her waist, making her stir in his arms. Anne yawned in the adorable way that made his heart skip in his chest, looking over her shoulder with sleep filled eyes to offer him a lazy smile. 

“Morning, birthday boy.” She said, voice scratchy and thick from sleep, and Gilbert could only return her smile, too sleepy and content to say anything in response. 

The day only got better from there, with a tall stack of sweet pancakes topped with powdered sugar and berries waiting for him on the table when he came in from taking care of the animals that morning, and a hefty piece of pumpkin pie tucked away in his lunch pail when he opened it up that afternoon. 

His patients-and even some people who didn’t have an appointment or ailment that needed tending to- wished him a happy birthday all day long (surely Anne’s doing, he had told no one that it was his birthday) and by the time he locked up the practice that evening and started his walk home, he felt like the most blessed man to have ever walked the earth, whistling a happy tune as he went. 

Though he had thought that there was no way for the day to get any better, Anne proved him wrong (as she was wont to do) before he had even made it through the gate. 

“You’re too good to me, Anne-girl.” He said with a beaming smile, taking in the picnic she had spread out in the yard for them. He dropped his things haphazardly on the ground, not caring where they landed as he crossed the yard in a few strides to pull her into a tight embrace, pulling a girlish squeal from her when he lifted her off the ground. 

“You deserve all this and more, Gil. Happy birthday.” She said, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly. Once he set her back on her feet she gave him a bright smile- the same one he had loved for a full decade- and took his hands in hers. 

“Enough standing around, dinner’s going to get cold.” She said, taking on the slightly bossy, no nonsense tone that made him a little weak in the knees, and tugged him over to the picnic blanket. 

She had made his favorite meal for supper, and after a second and third helping of the piping hot roast they didn’t bother moving from the blanket. Instead, Anne moved their dirty dishes to the side to deal with later and reached for the book of poetry that she had been reading through, tugging Gilbert down so that his head rested on the soft linen apron that was spread over her lap, breathing in the earthy smells that lingered in the fabric. With one hand holding the book open, the other found its way into his curls, scratching his scalp almost absentmindedly as she began to read the poems aloud. The mixture of a full belly, Anne’s steady melodic voice reading, and the hand working through his hair was enough to lull him into the blissful trance like state halfway between consciousness and sleep, and he was ready to give into the pull of slumber when Anne stopped reading and leaned down to brush her lips against his forehead, mumbling against his skin. 

“Don’t fall asleep just yet, Mr. Blythe, we have one more stop to make.” She said softly, and he could feel her smile against his skin, leaving his forehead feeling cool when she pulled away. He returned the smile, breathless at the sight that met him when he opened his eyes. 

Anne was beaming down at him, framed in fire from the warm glow of the setting sun cast over her hair. Her eyes were bright and filled with adoration- adoration for  _ him,  _ and though he knew that she was irreparably in love with him, it still took his breath away whenever she looked at him with such overwhelming affection. Gilbert bit the inside of his cheek, his heart thundering in his chest at just how much he loved the woman that was staring down at him. 

Without thinking he reached out and grabbing the end of her braid, twisting it lightly in his fingers before bringing it to his lips, kissing the fine, sweet smelling strands before he let them slip out of his grasp. 

“Lead the way, Carrots.” 

Once they put the dirty dishes in the house, it didn’t take but a few minutes for them to reach their intended destination, and Gilbert had guessed where they were going before they had even made it halfway there. Still, he didn’t let Anne in on the fact that he had figured out her plan, instead he just tightened his grip on her hand, bringing it up to his lips for a quick kiss to show his appreciation. 

The breeze that came off of the ocean held a hint of a chill that sent a shiver down Gilbert’s spine, but it didn’t stop him from kneeling down and untying his boots once they reached the beach, pulling them off along with his socks so he could dig his toes into the cool sand. Anne followed suit, smiling up at him and offering her his hand once more so they could walk barefoot down the sand. 

It was truly a spectacular sight, Anne had timed out everything perfectly so they had arrived just in time for the sun to start dipping below the horizon, leaving the earth painted in a warm glow. They stopped walking just short of the water, the rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore lulling them both into a peaceful trance. Gilbert took the opportunity to drop Anne’s hand, instead wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her into his side. 

“Thank you for today, sweetheart. It’s been absolutely wonderful, I couldn’t have asked for better.” He said sincerely, leaning in to press a kiss to her temple. Anne smiled, leaning her head onto his shoulder. 

“You deserve all this and more, Gil. Every day too, not just special ones like today.” She said, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. 

“Be careful, if you do that you might start to spoil me, Mrs. Blythe.” He teased softly, lifting his free hand to lightly wrap around the hand that rested over his heart, squeezing it gently. Anne simply giggled, closing her eyes and settling into their little embrace, content, happy, and more than willing to stay in that position for a while longer. Gilbert returned her smile, and pressed one more kiss against her head before turning his gaze back towards the setting sun. 

It was true that he had never cared much for his birthday, he had never felt the need to do anything extravagant to celebrate, but if every birthday for the rest of his life was celebrated like the one he had just had, well- that would be more than alright with him. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Go give Jenni some love for her incredible artwork! Her insta is @lovelyrugbee_art


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